Formic Acid → 4,7-Dimethyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole

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Reaction Steps

A mixture of 2,3-diamino-p-xylene (5.1 g), formic acid (88%, 200 mL) and 12N HCl (20 mL) is heated to reflux for 3 hours. The resulting mixture is cooled to room temperature and rotary evaporated. The residue is diluted with water (100 mL), then basified with ammonium hydroxide (28-30%). The suspension is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×100 mL). The combined extracts are dried over MgSO4 and rotary evaporated to afford 4,7-dimethylbenzimidazole as a yellow solid.

Provenance & Evidence